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Thread: Maple Neck - Knot, Grain pattern, Blemish?

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    Maple Neck - Knot, Grain pattern, Blemish?

    Hi,

    Just got my first tele delivered to me a few days ago and after inspecting it there's an odd look to the maple neck.
    You can see it on the fourth fret creeping up to the third... What is this? I can't tell if it's a knot, the pattern of the wood or a blemish. It's very different and definitely stands out from the rest of my maple neck guitars.









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    Forum Member OldStrummer's Avatar
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    Re: Maple Neck - Knot, Grain pattern, Blemish?

    Welcome to The Fender Forum! Congratulations on the new Tele! Did you see and play it before it was delivered? I confess, I've not seen that kind of marking on a neck/fingerboard, although streaked ebony has become quite popular, so maybe it's a thing? Was it described as such?

    Without knowing how you bought it and how it was described, it's hard to say if this fell through a QA crack, or if it's a new design feature.

    How does it play? That may be the deciding factor on what steps you take next.
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    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Maple Neck - Knot, Grain pattern, Blemish?

    It looks like there's a little figure in the wood. A touch of flame. Chatoyancy.

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    Forum Member OldStrummer's Avatar
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    Re: Maple Neck - Knot, Grain pattern, Blemish?

    Chatoyancy. Now there's a word I had to look up!
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    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Maple Neck - Knot, Grain pattern, Blemish?

    Quote Originally Posted by OldStrummer View Post
    Chatoyancy. Now there's a word I had to look up!
    Les Paul guys like to through that one around

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    Forum Member OldStrummer's Avatar
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    Re: Maple Neck - Knot, Grain pattern, Blemish?

    Quote Originally Posted by Don View Post
    Les Paul guys like to through that one around

    I'm old-fashioned. I have specified the fretboard on the custom build I'm having made be solid black ebony. None of this streaky stuff for me.

    But I understand guys like Bob Taylor, who is very conscious about sustainability, claimed that woocutters were leaving piles of streaked ebony behind until CITES started making noises.
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    Re: Maple Neck - Knot, Grain pattern, Blemish?

    Quote Originally Posted by Don View Post
    Les Paul guys like to through that one around
    Lol, it's true. The term is used mostly by rock hounds regarding the 3-D quality of some stones.
    It's just a little flame. If it went all up & down the neck, then dang! It would be some bling for sure
    I dig that kind of stuff, & notice waves, flames, burls & birdseyes all the time. If nothing else, it's an easily identifiable "birthmark" in case the instrument is stolen

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    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Maple Neck - Knot, Grain pattern, Blemish?

    Quote Originally Posted by Cogs View Post
    Lol, it's true. The term is used mostly by rock hounds regarding the 3-D quality of some stones.
    It's just a little flame. If it went all up & down the neck, then dang! It would be some bling for sure
    I dig that kind of stuff, & notice waves, flames, burls & birdseyes all the time. If nothing else, it's an easily identifiable "birthmark" in case the instrument is stolen
    A friend bought a new Martin guitar, his first, and it had a little bit bear claw in one area on the top. He was ready to send it back, but it was an awesome guitar, and we talked him off the ledge. He's had the guitar for years with no regrets.

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    Re: Maple Neck - Knot, Grain pattern, Blemish?

    IMHO it adds character. Maple is figured and may look unique, as yours does. Rickenbackers display that kind of figuring quite often.

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    Re: Maple Neck - Knot, Grain pattern, Blemish?

    Thanks for the feedback, I thought it was odd because I never seen a neck like this… As long as it doesn’t cause issues down the road I’m okay with it. My OCD was kicking in and I was thinking about returning it but I was like it gives it character and it’s about how it sounds and feels :) I would still like to figure out what it might be, the vibe that I”m getting so far is that’s it’s just the pattern of the maple?

    I also wanted to mention that the light and angle will make it more noticeable which I thought was odd because the rest of the neck looks the same regardless of the lighting or angle.

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    Forum Member Michael Smith's Avatar
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    Re: Maple Neck - Knot, Grain pattern, Blemish?

    I don't think it's anything to worry about. My tele also has a similar grain pattern on the fretboard near the neck pickup. You can really only see it clearly with a flashlight shined on it (2nd photo).

    "When You're Riding Down the Highway at Night, And You're Feeling that Wild Turkey's Bite" ZZ Top

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